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Lena Parker
Lena Denise Parker '''(née '''Kynard; born May 25, 1964) is an American celebrity cook, cookbook author, and television personality. In an article for The New York Times, Kim Severson described Parker as "one of the nation’s most enduring recipe writers and cooking teachers...and a dean of food television and magazines."' From 2009 through 2017, she was President Barack Obama's Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy, Executive Director for First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign, and Assistant Chef. She was one of the cast members in the reality television series The First Family. She is the author of several cookbooks and videos, and launched a magazine Every Day with Lena Parker. Since 2010, Parker has been the host of Lena's Weeknight Meals, a cooking show distributed by American Broadcasting Company. Early Life Parker was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and attended Commerce High School where she became a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. In her freshmen year, she got pregnant with her first child. Following graduation, she moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she open her own coffee shop before she began her cooking career. Career The idea of channeling her childhood passion for food into a career did not occur to Parker until her oldest son Paul began his NBA career. Her son encouraged her to start a food blog, so she has become a presenter of cooking and lifestyle tips on the Fox Sports New England. In 2008, Parker's television career began when she was asked to appear on Good Morning America for Thanksgiving special and later on Oprah Winfrey Show for Christmas. This lead to a Parker hosting "Lena's Weeknight Meals" which began airing on public television in 2010. In January 2009, Parker went to work at the White House as First Lady Michelle Obama's Food Initiative Coordinator since they been best friends since their early twenties, and joined the kitchen staff as an Assistant Chef under Executive Chef Cris Comerford. In 2010, Parker was promoted to Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives. She also released her first cookbook Soulfood Cookbook Recipes and has written six more cookbooks. By 2016, she had sold over 1.5 million copies of her cookbooks. The Reader's Digest Association launched Parker's magazine Every Day with Lena Parker on October 25, 2010. Blogging for StoveTop Readings in November 2010. In 2013, Parker was named Let's Move! Executive Director and promoted to Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition Policy. In these roles, Parker assisted Michelle Obama in creating the first major vegetable garden at the White House since Eleanor Roosevelt's victory garden. The garden does not use herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizer. She also assists in her effort to promote healthy eating and the prevention of childhood obesity. The Let's Move! campaign utilizes private-sector partnerships to pursue the goal of reducing childhood obesity to just 5% by 2030 and Parker was named #11 on Fast Company magazine's 2011 list of 100 Most Creative People for her work with Let's Move! in particular for a five-year partnership pledge from grocery giant Walmart. The company announced a commitment to build up to 300 stores in areas defined as "food deserts," lower the price of its fruits and vegetables, and reduce the sugar, salt, and fat in its private-label products on its shelves. Parker is a promoter of sustainable farming and locally grown and organic foods and is a critic of modern agricultural producers and fertilizer and pesticide companies. She has also railed against the national lunch program as "disproportionately high in fat, preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup." In 2012, Parker was named to the inaugural class of chefs in the American Chef Corps, a project created by the US Department of State in conjunction with the James Beard Foundation to promote global diplomacy through culinary initiatives. Parker made her first solo trip abroad for the program in July of 2014, spending a week in The Republic of Korea. During her visit sponsored by the US Embassy and Brand USA, Parker promoted Let's Move!, met with culinary students, celebrated Independence Day at the US Embassy's party, learned to cook the traditional dish Bulgogi at the request of President Obama, and promoted culinary tourism to the US. The ninth season of "Lena's Weeknight Meals" began airing on public television in the fall of 2019. The show was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2013 and 2015, while Parker herself has been nominated three times as Outstanding Personality/Host, most recently in 2014. Personal Life In high school, Parker began dating Chicago White Sox pitcher Carlos García, until his death in a car accident on September 21, 1983. The couple's daughter is supermodel Mariah García. Her sons Paul and Jeff are National Basketball Association players, while her daughters Leilani, Kyra, Kara are professional athletes in their respective sports and her youngest daughter Kayla became an actress-musician. She divorced Kevin Parker, (father of Kyra, Kara, and Kayla), on July 27, 1997 and got back together on September 28, 2018. They remarried on November 10, 2018. Parker is a devoted Christian. She stated in 2012: "I do believe that I have been born again in a lot of ways. I think what I've changed are my priorities and my relationships with God. I feel the difference when I don't have my private moments to pray. ... I'm a fighter, but I learned that I'm not in charge. Whatever God wants to happen is what's going to happen. I feel like I've had endless second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth chances. It's by the grace of God I'm still here." Humanitarian work Parker's philanthropic efforts have been recognized by the Do Something Awards and the Disaster Services Unit. She promotes various causes, including conservation, education, and women's rights, and is most noted for her advocacy on behalf of refugees as a Special Envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Others include The Big Help Award for her "dedication to helping others" and "inspiring others through action", and the Ripple of Hope Award because of her "dedication to advocacy at such a young age … In December 2012, Parker along with a variety of other celebrities teamed up and produced a video campaign for "Demand A Plan", a bipartisan effort by a group of 950 US mayors and others designed to influence the federal government into rethinking its gun control laws, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Parker has received wide recognition for her humanitarian work. In August 2002, she received the inaugural Humanitarian Award from the Church World Service's Immigration and Refugee Program, and in October 2003, she was the first recipient of the Citizen of the World Award by the United Nations Correspondents Association. She was awarded the Global Humanitarian Award by the UNA-USA in October 2005, and she received the Freedom Award from the International Rescue Committee in November 2007. In October 2011, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres presented Parker with a gold pin reserved for the most long-serving staff, in recognition of her decade as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. In November 2013, Parker received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an honorary Academy Award, from the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In June 2014, she was appointed an Honorary Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) for her services to the UK's foreign policy and campaigning to end sexual violence in war zones. Queen Elizabeth II presented Parker with the insignia of her honorary damehood during a private ceremony the following October. Awards * 2011 Culinary Institute of America's Chef of the Year. * 2011 Soulfood Cookbook Recipes was an International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards Winner in the category of Children, Youth and Family. * 2013 Lena Parker's Everyday Family Dinners was an International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards Winner in the category of Children, Youth and Family. * The International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York & Ferdinand Metz Foodservice Forum 2014 Beacon Award. * 2016 inducted into the James Beard Foundation's Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America. * 2018 Culinary Institute of America Leadership Award. Bibliography * Parker, Lena (2010). Soulfood Cookbook Recipes. ISBN 978-0913668689. * Parker, Lena (2011). Faith, Family, and Food ISBN 9781476763200 * Parker, Lena (2012). Lena Kynard's Recipes: Desserts. ISBN 978-1580088794. * Parker, Lena (2013). Lena Kynard Cooks at Home. ISBN 978-0-7679-0770-5. * Parker, Lena (2014). Lena's Secrets for Weeknight Meals. ISBN 978-0-7679-1659-2. * Parker, Lena (2015). Lena Kynard's Everyday Family Dinners. ISBN 1-4391-0251-1. * Parker, Lena (2016).Lena Kynard's How to Make Everything Taste Better. ISBN 978-0848744410' See also * Biography portal * Food portal * Literature portal * Chicago portal * List of American writers * List of chefs * List of Illinois writers * List of non-fiction writers * List of people from Springfield * List of television presenters '''''''' References External links * lenaparker.com, Parker's official website * Lena Parker at the Chef and Restaurant Database * Lena Parker at the Internet Movie Database * Parker, New York Women's Culinary Alliance website P